On Wednesday night, the California Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights hosted a community forum at Southwestern College to hear about how immigration enforcement is affecting children. It drew about 10 people, aside from the media, and the majority of them pushed for more aggressive immigration enforcement and getting rid of sanctuary cities.
For about an hour and a half those in attendance took turns speaking to the committee about their concerns.
SWC Director of Student Equity Programs and Services Dr. Guadalupe Corona was the only speaker to advocate for undocumented students and the separation of law enforcement and immigration enforcement.
“Some of these kids don’t know they’re undocumented until they’re thinking about going to college … they’re doing all the right things,” Corona said. She added that ICE’s presence has a negative impact on undocumented students’ stability and mental health, and that they are a byproduct of a broken immigration system.
“I have seen students who have been stuck for 10 years in this process,” Corona said.
A few people came to represent The Remembrance Project, an organization that aims to “educate the public about the loss of American lives and legal residents at the hands of illegal aliens,” according to their website. The group has been criticized for misrepresenting the level of crime committed by immigrants.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, The Remembrance Project’s founder, Maria Espinoza, routinely demonizes immigrants and has a history of working with white nationalists.
Robin Hvidston was one of the people who came to speak on behalf of The Remembrance Project.
She is also running for State Assembly in San Bernadino County’s District 41, and the executive director of We The People Rising, a Claremont, California-based volunteer group that aims to expose “political corruption” and employers that hire undocumented people, according to their website.
“Please we need our law enforcement to work with ICE,” Hvidston said at the forum. She urged people in attendance at the meeting to sign up for daily ICE alerts.
Raul Rodriguez, an Apple Valley resident, came to represent The Remembrance Project and America First Latinos, a national pro-Trump, anti-illegal immigration group.
“Rather than deportation or placing them behind bars for their crimes, they are allowed to go free in the streets,” Rodriguez said.
Transcripts of the meeting will be available within 30 days, according to the committee.
Anyone with additional comments or questions can email afortes@usccr.gov.
